Comment

Comment by Plinius on Friday

Not sure what a bonehead is, but I hope they'll replace it!

Comment by Randall Smith on Friday

True, I'm a bonehead.

I finally broke down and bought a regular drip coffee maker (Proctor-Silex). My percolator has seen better days. When I removed it from the box, the pot slipped off and fell to the floor shattering in a thousand pieces. In my defense, I would have thought the pot would be secured to prevent that particular accident from happening. Live and learn.

I'm returning the coffee maker hoping they'll replace it. We'll see. Aaarrghh!

Comment by Randall Smith on April 8, 2018 at 7:21am

Joan, you're hilarious! And, by the way, thanks for the introduction to a new Indiana member.

Patricia, I enjoy reading your comments. "There's no place like home." Or is there?

Comment by Patricia on April 7, 2018 at 6:10pm

We also don't travel well.

Comment by Patricia on April 7, 2018 at 6:08pm

We lived in the milder climates & had more arthritic, allergies, & breathing problems.

We like the cold as long as its not too cold. We don't like the heat at all, so are rather glad our summers are not too long.

As for the wildfires, this is the most dangerous it has ever been, & I don't know where we'd move to other than Iceland.

Comment by Joan Denoo on April 7, 2018 at 6:04pm

Patricia, I don't envy you the suspense of being in a forested area with the threats of fires, and in a cold area with threats of winter storms! Do you ever consider moving to a milder climate?

If I were younger, I would sell everything I have and move out of the U.S. I am not sure where I would move to, perhaps to a "happier" nation, i.e. 

• Norway (7.53)
• Denmark (7.52)
• Iceland (7.50)
• Switzerland (7.49)
• Finland (7.46)
• Netherlands (7.37)
• Canada (7.31)

No, that would not get me out of the cold. Maybe a healthy nation, i.e. 

Country Name	Health-Conscious Rank	Life Expectancy
Sweden	1	82.1
Switzerland	2	82.6
Denmark	3	79.5
Norway	4	81.9

Nope, that would still be in a cold area. Maybe a peaceful nation, i.e. 

Country	2017 rank	2016 rank
Iceland	1	1
New Zealand	2	4
Portugal	3	5
Austria	4	3

Portugal might work! I don't think I would do well in Austria. I was there for a few weeks and did not feel comfortable with the rigidity. 

I might as well stop right here, I have no resources for such a move and I would not like to be so far from my family. 

Where is my Attitude of Gratitude Journal when I need it? 

Comment by Joan Denoo on April 7, 2018 at 5:41pm

Spud, it sounds like you made a wise decision, given the reality of the thing. I wonder if there is another way to protect your blossoms. 

Randy, have you tried other ways to protect your blossoms? 

I cut down my peaches and apricot trees because they were hit by late frosts and produced nothing edible. I am in a colder climate in Newport, WA., and would love to have some spring blossoms, and apple trees seem to be grown successfully in this area.

If I were going to plant an apricot or peach tree now, I would choose something such as these two varieties:

Hunza Apricot / Citation [SPRING]

Contender Peach / Lovell [SPRING]

Comment by Patricia on April 7, 2018 at 1:36pm

We've been snowing again, but also have wildfires starting in the province. Here we go again......

Comment by Idaho Spud on April 7, 2018 at 11:07am

I read a little about a Smudge Pot on Wikipedia.  It's "an oil-burning device used to prevent frost on fruit trees. Usually a smudge pot has a large round base with a chimney coming out of the middle of the base. The smudge pot is placed between trees in an orchard. The burning oil creates some heat, but more importantly, a large amount of smoke, particulates, carbon dioxide, and water vapor. This deliberate smog forms a "blanket" that blocks infrared light, thereby preventing radiative coolingthat would otherwise cause or worsen frost.^[1] (Low clouds can have a similar "infrared blanket" effect, which is why cloudy nights tend to be warmer than clear-sky nights.)"

I see several reasons not to use it to protect my apricot tree from freezing:

1.  Cold nights usually don't have wind, but just in case, wind might carry the flame to a part of the small tree and burn it.

2.  It might be illegal to put that much pollution in the air.

3.  My tree is right by the public street and sidewalk, so I would worry that someone might steal it, or mess with it, even setting something on fire.

I read that their use in orchards have dropped because of environmental concerns as well as oil price increases.

Comment by Randall Smith on April 7, 2018 at 7:17am

I wonder where you've been, Spud. Hadn't heard from you in awhile.

My two apricot trees look like yours--eager to burst in bloom. They're always the first fruit trees to do so. Unfortunately, in the 30+ years I've had them, they've only produced fruit once. It seems when they blossom, we have a freeze. Every year. Once again, "hope springs eternal".

Joan, glad to hear you're doing some gardening! Keep active.

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